Strong Enough to Break
by Kusabi
Summary: Postseries, contains spoilers. Al learns of what happened to Ed, but also finds that he is among friends. crappy summary, but yeah.


_Author's Note: I hadn't done a fic about Al… so I thought it would be interesting to try it. This takes place POST SERIES, meaning it will contain SPOILERS! Please don't read if you haven't finished the series. Oh, & the title comes from a great song by Hanson._

_Oh yes, Fullmetal Alchemist and all the characters in this story belong to Hiromu Arakawa & Square-Enix!_

**Strong Enough To Break**  
By Kusabi

_It's been a month now_. The young-looking Alphonse Elric sat on the couch in Roy Mustang's office. Apparently, Roy had a sudden call for something, so Al had to wait a little while. He went over the call that he had gotten.

"Alphonse Elric?" The man on the other end of the receiver had a stern sounding voice.  
"Um, yes, this is he."  
"My name is Colonel Roy Mustang. You may not remember me, but I need to disclose some important information to you." He paused for a moment. "Please visit my office in Central this Saturday."  
"Oh… okay…"  
_Click._

In his mind, Al thought hard about the name. _Roy Mustang…_ he thought. _Didn't I see that name in one of dad's letters?  
_His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. A tall man, with dark hair and dark eyes walked in. He wore a blue military uniform, but the look on his face was not one you would usually see a soldier wear. Dark circles were under his eyes, giving him the look of one who hadn't slept in days. Al stood up and bowed to the man.  
"Pardon me," the man spoke. "You're Alphonse, I presume?"  
"Yes, that would be me."  
"Ah. I am Colonel Roy Mustang. We spoke earlier in the week. Please, sit."  
Al did just as he was told. He watched curiously as the Colonel walked over to his desk. This whole idea of having to meet with this man confused him.  
"Now then," Roy began. He tried to keep a serious look on his face. "I wasn't informed of what the last thin you remember was. Please, tell me."  
Pausing to think for a second, Al gave a small sigh. How many times had Auntie Pinako, Winry, and everyone else asked him this? "Before waking in _that place_, I can remember Brother and I about to attempt to re-transmute mom."  
Roy's eyes widened. "Oh… I see." He was baffled. How would he be able to explain this all to him? It most certainly wouldn't be easy.  
"Sir? You know something," Al said, his tone now very serious. "I want to know… maybe it can help me find Brother…"  
The last statement disheartened Roy very much. _Ed… you're not in this world anymore, are you?_ "It's a long story… I hope you're prepared.  
"Of course."

He awoke to a white, unfamiliar ceiling. The Colonel's story was truly a long one. Not only long, but difficult to take in.  
"How are you feeling, Alphonse?" The woman who asked this question stood in the corner of the strange room he was in. She had blonde hair, and wore a uniform similar to that of Colonel Mustang's.  
Al said nothing, but merely stared at her. What was he supposed to feel? He had just been told of a journey, one that he and his brother had taken… yet he couldn't remember a single moment of it.  
The woman showed a brief look of remorse for him, but tensed up as soon as the door swung open. Colonel Mustang came through the door, and she gave a salute to him.  
"Lieutenant Hawkeye. How is he?" Roy asked, tiredly.  
Sighing, Hawkeye replied, "He won't respond. He's completely shocked… I'm pretty sure he's not sure what to think right now."  
"I expected as much… oh yes, Miss Rockbell is here to see him," he told her, opening the door once again.  
Winry rushed into the room, next to where Al was laying. Her eyes were brimming with tears.  
"Oh Al… this was all so sudden… I'm sorry we couldn't tell you…"  
Looking up at her, Al managed a weak smile. How could she have told him? They both knew that she would never have that kind of heart. Plus, knowing Ed and him, they probably hadn't told her all of the details.  
"And… I want you to know… though Ed is gone… God, I miss him… we're here… I'M here… we all love you, Al."  
At this point, Winry completely lost it. She knelt down on the ground, and cried uncontrollably. No one moved to comfort her. They all knew it would be best for her to just cry.

After a few minutes, Winry's tears became controlled once again. Hawkeye and Roy had left – they had decided the two should be left alone.  
"Winry," Al finally spoke, "…thank you."  
"But…" Winry spoke, her voice slightly cracking, "I didn't do anything."  
Al looked at her seriously. "But you did. You came here to see me when I passed out. I've lost brother," his look became sad again, "but I know I'll find him one day. Until then, I know that I have people who will help me out."  
Winry smiled. "Yes, we'll help you out." She gave Al a hug. "If anyone can find Ed, it's you. I believe in you."

Winry and Al left for Rizenbul that night, arriving in the morning. On Sunday, Al decided to begin training with Izumi once again, and bade goodbye to everyone. He promised to come back, and when he did return, the search for Ed would start.


End file.
